Trust
by Vernydog92
Summary: This is a story about how Eric Delko takes the death of Marisol...unfortunately he blames Horatio for her death and takes it all out on him...


9/3/07

Trust 

**Chapter One: Angry Eyes**

"I TRUSTED YOU!! I PUT HER LIFE IN YOUR HANDS HORATIO!! YOU COULDN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF HER!!" Delko yelled.

"Listen there was nothing I could do…I could have never known that they were going to go after her…please Eric calm down." Horatio said calmly.

"NO!! YOU LIED TO ME!!! YOU LIED DAMN IT AND NOW YOU THINK THAT'S OKAY…THAT I'M GOING TO BE OKAY WITH THIS!!!"

Eric runs up to Horatio, grabs him by the collar and holds him against the wall. He takes Horatio's sunglasses, throwing them with such force, that they shatter into pieces.

"You think that you are so smart…that you know everything and I'm just one of your little puppets in your sick theatre. It's over H…I hate you and this friendship is over…"

"Get your hands off of me Delko…"

"No…it's over…you killed my sister and now someone is going to have to pay for it…and that someone is you…"

Eric wrapped his hands around Horatio's neck and started to choke the precious air out of his lungs as he struggled to get his gun. Delko was able to spot this and took Horatio's gun and threw it a few feet away.

"No…you killed Marisol and now you are going to die…" Eric hissed with vengance.

Horatio knew that he couldn't do anything to get away so, all he did was look into Eric's eyes as tears made their way down his cheeks. It was a very rare sight because the Lieutenant was one who never showed his emotions unless it was anger. Horatio continued to move and Delko wanted it so he no longer saw a flicker of life in the lying Lieutenant's body.

"Why won't you die…why did she die and now you won't? Answer me that Horatio? You may have been her husband but I'm her brother!!! I can never forget!!! Not like you can!!!"

Horatio couldn't answer the question but his eyes said everything and he knew that it was over, he couldn't escape death this time. There was no hair of a chance and no back way out of it…not this time. He never knew it would end this way, actually he thought that he would have been killed on the job or something like that. He never knew it would end like this…in the grip of one of his own. It was over…all over and the worst part was he could do nothing to save himself this time because his gun was gone and Delko wasn't a small guy.

Hate was a strong feeling, when it's mixed with sadness and confusion it is dangerous and will harm anyone in its way. Unfortunately Horatio was the one who happened to be in it's way and there was no escape from it. It was choking, strangling and killing him slowly as he struggled against it and he knew it was winning…that Delko was winning. He was a fighter and it would take a long time to strangle him to death and he was going to use every ounce of energy to do so. Time was growing slim for him though and his lungs and heart were crying out for oxygen…he was dying now and he could feel it.

"I am honored to have worked with you H…but now this partnership is done…goodbye…"

Horatio could no longer struggle and all energy left his body as Delko realized what he had done. It was too late to realize he killed his friend and partner, he knew he made a mistake but it was an un-reversible mistake. Horatio's body lay limp in his hands and it was all over, Horatio was dead…gone forever.

"Horatio…uhhh…what have I done? I lost one person and now I just killed the only person I had left."

Horatio's head lay back and the light had left his ocean blue eyes; Eric knew it was all over for him too. He would lose his job and would either be put to death or spend life in prison for killing a police officer. Not to mention everyone back at the lab would ultimately hate him and never talk to him again.

"Horatio…I'm sorry…I don't know what…WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!!! Why did I do this Horatio? Why did I kill you? How could I hurt you?"

Eric couldn't do anything anymore to help his friend and if he had only stopped and thought about how much Horatio really cared about Marisol. It was too late for that now and his remorse and regret had come too late for him to act upon it. Yet Delko wanted to try and save his friend and fellow officer by doing something, anything to help him. He laid the limp body on the ground and began to proceed with C.P.R trying to bring his friend back.

"Come on Horatio…come on…don't leave me…please don't leave me…" Eric huffed.

He continued to press against Horatio's chest and give him breath's of new air but nothing was working. That was until he coughed and started to gasp for precious air waking from near death. His lungs were in pain and he was dazed and confused, not sure where he was or what happened to him.

"H…H…are you there? Please talk to me…say something…"

Horatio couldn't talk because his windpipe had been damaged; he was trying his hardest to tell Delko. He was grabbing at his throat and looking into Eric's eyes pleading for help.

"Don't worry H. I'll get help…"

He picks Horatio up, lays him over his shoulder and goes to a police car not too far away. He laid him in the passenger seat and rushed him to the hospital where they rushed him into emergency surgery to repair his windpipe, before he really did die. Delko waited all night and finally he was able to see his friend. He walked into the room and saw Horatio hooked up to I.V's and oxygen but that wasn't the most heart wrenching part. The most heart wrenching part was the fact that his neck was wrapped in a bandage and he couldn't speak or eat.

Eric couldn't believe what he had done to his partner and it made him realize that it was never Horatio's fault…it was his. He was with Marisol the day those scum shot at them…it was his fault and he could do nothing. Now he had tried to kill his brother in law because he believed it was his entire fault but it never was his fault. Yet Delko had let him marry his sister, Horatio did have some responsibility over her but that wasn't a good reason to try and kill him. The Lieutenant opened his eyes and looked at detective with oddly, placid eyes.

It kind of creeped Delko out that the Lieutenant could be so tranquil but still be in so much pain at the same time.

"Umm H…I want to apologize about what happened back there. I just got out of hand and I…I really miss her H…it just…was so sudden and I see now that I took it out on the wrong person. I will take all the heat for what I have done and serve the time…I deserve it for what I did to you…"

All Horatio could do was blink his eyes and gasp at the detective making him even more upset at the fact that his boss couldn't even answer him. The hospital had given him muscle relaxants to ease his pain but that made him look even worse.

"Horatio…what have I done…I know I'm going to lose my job but like I said before I deserve it. I'm sorry H…"

"E…Eric…" Horatio managed to get out before he closed his eyes and laid his head back in pain.

"Sometimes I don't know why I do things…"

Delko wasn't the only one who knew what happened, at that moment Calleigh walked in staring at Eric intensely.

"Why?" She asked.

"Calleigh…I…I can explain…"

"Explain what Eric? You almost killed Horatio, the head of our crime lab and now you want to try and explain it? Eric I'm not happy with you at all and you are going to lose your job over this, you know that right?"

"Yes…I know…"

"Then why in the world would you hurt him…Eric, Horatio is a very loving, kind and smart man. He would never do anything to hurt you and if he did, it was most likely an accident that was beyond his recognition."

"I realize that now."

"You can't fix what you have done to him though. Eric, you very well may have damaged his throat so badly that he can no longer speak to us. What would happen if that were the case? What would we do?"

"I never thought of that alright, I was angry and I just lost it. I wasn't thinking clearly…I just…I just don't know…"

"And neither do we. Eric if Horatio is mute then it's over…for not only him but, all of us. That does include you."

"I know…I never meant for it to happen this way."

"Tell me, how did you want it to happen?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm upset, that's what the hell is wrong with me!"

"I said I was sorry, what more do you want?"

"No. Don't apologize just to me, you have to apologize to Horatio and everyone back at the lab. That means that you are going to have to explain how you almost killed Horatio."

"I know that."

"Then do it."

"I can't just leave H?"

"I'll stay here with him, you go and tell the others what happened…everything."

Eric walked out of the E.R and headed back towards the crime lab to explain how their Lieutenant ended up in the hospital.


End file.
